Revisionist History

Last week we were disturbed to read  to the editor in  attacking a citizen who had written to express her opinion about the Carnegie Library situation.

Ms. Salvatore’s  of the history of Tritec’s involvement with the library was not a fabrication, as characterized by Mayor Pontieri, but an accurate description of the events as we know them to have occurred.

Tritec did agree to move the library as part of its original development plan. While promoting the Tritec plan for the Four Corners over the last several years, Mayor Pontieri was quick to publicize the positive aspects of the plan, including the hotel, tiered parking, owner occupied units, and the importance of saving the Carnegie Library.

The Village did work with Tritec in submitting a grant application to the State of New York for $1 million. A key aspect of that grant application was the moving of the library.

This summer Mayor Pontieri privately approached each of us and raised the issue that the library might have to be demolished because it was unsound to move. This was the first we heard of this, because the Mayor was previously quoted in the paper as saying the library was “actually in pretty good shape.” (The Advance, March 12, 2009).

At our request, the Village recently hired engineers to evaluate the integrity of the building. Those engineers have determined that the library is sound to move.

It was only after a public outcry to save the library surfaced that Mayor Pontieri began to express concern about the cost of maintaining the library once it is moved.

We met with him and suggested that, instead of burdening the taxpayer, a private enterprise might be interested in saving and utilizing the library. Thereafter, Mayor Pontieri provided a statement to the press that he was going to make an announcement with Democrats Tim Bishop and Rob Carlarco on Lake Street regarding “ideas” on how to save the library.

At that announcement, the Mayor claimed he has an idea to investigate whether a private investor might be willing to maintain the library. Later he had a photo op for a Newsday reporter at the Library along with a Tritec representative. We were not notified about either of these events.

We did not want to politicize the issue of the library; its saving was paramount, no matter who “took credit”. However, we could not remain silent in the face of such blatant revisionist history.

Stephen J. McGiff

Gerard J. Crean

Village Trustees